EPA calls on public to be committed to environmental protection

Tamale, Aug. 16, GNA - Mr Abu Iddrisu, Northern Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), has called on the general public to demonstrate much commitment to issues affecting the environment to promote sustainable land use.

He noted that reports from some districts in the region indicate that most decentralized organizations were not committed to projects aimed at protecting the environment.

Mr Iddrisu was addressing a meeting of the Regional Environmental Management Committee in Tamale on Monday.

The committee is part of a working group of the Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP), a project by the government of Ghana and funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).

Mr Iddrisu said there had been general awareness among the general public about desertification and drought adding that the sensitization would continue for the achievement of the objectives of the project.

He said some selected and priority communities in the region had been engaged in stakeholder workshops to deliberate and provide alternative interventions implementation.

The EPA official said a total of 30 school clubs had been formed to help protect the environment and existing ones reactivated to propagate the thematic areas of the GEMP project.

He said under the project, 50,000 trees would be planted by the selected communities based on the choice of trees by the beneficiary communities.

Mr Ebenezer Djaney Djagbletey, Regional Forestry Manager, said the Forestry Commission was undertaking similar projects to redeem the continuous depletion of the vegetation and restore the ecology.

He expressed concerned that the Tamale Metropolis was not practicing good environmental practices and urged the people to adhere to good environmental practices.

Mr Joseph Dzasa, Northern Regional Coordinating Director, said good environmental management practices would serve the best interest of the entire country and efforts to redeem it must be commended.

He however expressed worry about the negative activities of the Fulani herdsmen and called on the government to review the ECOWAS protocol to enable the country to address their activities.